The present invention relates to masking devices, and more particularly, to high temperature resistant masking devices having pull tabs extending upwardly therefrom to facilitate easy removal of the masking devices from a masking area.
Masking plays a vital role in the painting or coating of parts used in the automotive, aerospace, electronics and other industries. The painting or coating of parts may involve liquid coating, plating, powder coating or electroplating. The coating may be applied by a variety of methods including brushing, rolling, spraying, dipping, flow-coating, electrostatic coating, and submersion in deposition tanks. The liquid, powder or plating material may be applied to wood, fiberglass, or metal surfaces in order to protect and strengthen those surfaces. The coating protects the surface of a part by preventing electrical leakage, oxidation, corrosion and decay. Once the coating is applied, it is often cured at temperatures between 200-600xc2x0 Fahrenheit to harden and cross-link the coating on the surface. After the curing process is complete, the cured coating forms a very strong protective layer on the surface that is highly resistant to scratching and chipping.
In most applications, a protective coating is to applied to certain areas of a surface but not to other areas of the surface. The areas where the coating is not to be applied must be covered or masked off. Typically, a paper or polyester film element in the form of masking tape is applied to the surface areas to be masked. The masking tape generally has an adhesive on one side so that it may be affixed to the surface to be masked. Once the painting or coating process has been completed, the masking tape is removed from the surface.
There are problems associated with masking areas of a surface during painting or coating. One problem is that the masking tape is often hard to remove from the surface after it has been through the coating process. This is due, at least in some part, to the temperatures used in the curing process. The masking tape must withstand high curing temperatures of approximately 200-600xc2x0 Fahrenheit. Usually, a great deal of time and effort is required to remove the tape from the masking area. Technicians often use razor blades, knives, screw drivers or other devices to remove the masking tape. These devices often cause scratches or cuts on the surface of the coated part. Second, occasionally the thickness of the coating is so thick that it covers a standard masking device making it impossible to remove.
Thus, it is desirable to provide masking devices which are easily removable from the masking surfaces and masking devices.
The present invention provides masking devices for masking certain areas of a surface during liquid coating, powder coating, plating or electroplating. The masking devices are preferably die-cut from sheet material into substrates, an adhesive is applied to the bottom surface of the substrates, a tab is formed extending upwardly from the top surface of the substrate, and the substrate is affixed to a release liner. The masking devices are then removed from the release liner and applied to a masking surface.
The masking devices comprise a substrate having a top surface and a bottom surface, with an adhesive applied to the bottom surface. A tab extending upwardly from the top surface of the substrate is provided to facilitate easy removal of the masking device from the masking surface. The tab consists of two side members which are formed when the substrate is pushed inwardly from two opposite sides towards the center. The two side members become affixed together when the bottom surfaces of each side member come in contact with each other. The adhesive is preferably only applied to a portion of the bottom surface of the side members to ensure that the side members are securely bonded together. The process of creating the tabs also creates two folding lines along the base of the tab and a center apex at the top of the tab.
The masking devices are preferably made from a unitary substrate material, but could also be made from two separate substrates which are joined together during formation of the tab. The two substrates are affixed together when the bottom surfaces of the side members having adhesive applied thereto come in contact with each other.
The method of making the masking devices involves die-cutting a sheet of flexible material into desired substrate shapes, applying adhesive to the bottom surface of the die-cut substrates, forming a pull tab from the substrate that extends upwardly from the top surface of the substrate, and applying the tabbed substrates to a release liner for use in masking surface areas of parts that are to be painted or coated.
Various other features, aspects and advantages of the invention may be apparent to those skilled in the art from the following drawings and detailed description of the invention.